I'm busy with the Salisbury Christmas Market at the moment (do come down!) but did manage to meet up with some friends and potter around Langford Lakes Nature Reserve this weekend.
It's definitely best in the winter, with an interesting and diverse array of wildfowl present on the old gravel pits. Although it's a small reserve, it's very quiet, unlike the larger complex of gravel pits Blashford Lakes, which we visited a few weeks ago.
This meant that we had most of the hides to ourselves - I'm no twitcher, and can only identify a handful of species out there. Lots of tufted ducks of course, but also gadwall pootling about, male wigeon looking resplendent in their chestnut heads and creamy facial stripe, many rear-ends of shovellers, the obligatory cormorants and grey herons and a possible kingfisher sighting.
One hide mostly looked out onto bird feeders, with great tits, robins, dunnocks and even a goldcrest flitting about. However, the real star of the show was mammalian. I have never seen such fat rats, for such an extended period and so close-up. They really are much-maligned. Can you blame them for hanging around a free and easy food source?!
One of the people in a hide told us of a male goldeneye on one of the lakes. We really didn't expect to find it but lo, there it was. It seemed to have befriended a black-headed gull, and looked very lonely. It really is a beautiful bird - crisp black and white patches, almost like black dominoes, and with that startling golden eye. Sadly no pics due to lack of telephoto lens!
Now, I said I am no twitcher, but that was a new 'tick' for me!
No comments:
Post a Comment